Sumit Nagal upsets Yuki Bhambri to enter maiden Challenger Tour final

Sumit Nagal continued his marauding run in the ATP Challenger Tour Bengaluru Open on Friday, this time beating third-seed Yuki Bhambri 6-4, 6-0 in the semifinal at the KSLTA Arena, in Bengaluru. The 20-year-old will now meet Britain’s Jay Clarke in the final on Saturday, Nagal’s first in the ATP Challenger circuit.

Coming to the clash at the back of a 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seed Blaz Kavcic, Nagal started with the serve and took the lead with the first game. Bhambri pulled level on multiple occasions in a set that saw both players go toe-to-toe before Rohtak-born Nagal broke Bhambri’s serve to make it 5-3 and eventually came out tops 6-4.

Picking up right where he left off, Nagal was flawless in the second set allowing him to race to a 3-0 lead, breaking Bhambri’s serve in the process. With no sign of a fight from Bhambri, Nagal went on to claim the set and the match without dropping a game in the set.

Earlier in the first semifinal, 19-year-old Clarke scored a 6-3, 6-4 win over Taiwan’s Yang Tsung-Hua. The final is scheduled to be held on Saturday, at 12:30 pm.